“It was great to validate my knowledge and see others with the same struggle and concerns”

THE APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The Industry Leaders Fund Inc (ILF) will, from time to time, be calling for applications for funding from people with demonstrated leadership potential and aspirations. Initially calls will be publicised in the Advertiser and by word of mouth.

The funding will pay for the applicant to study or obtain experience that will pave the way for them to achieve their leadership capacity and ambition more quickly and more effectively than would otherwise be the case. The aim is to fund training or experience that might otherwise not be accessible to the applicant. Grants of up $50,000 will be offered to worthy applicants.

The Industry Leaders Fund recognises that leadership potential is not restricted to those who have a university or other qualification, and applications are encouraged from anyone who believes they have leadership potential and who has demonstrated that potential in their lives to date. Demonstration of leadership capacity is likely to have been in the workplace, but may have been shown through positions of responsibility in a volunteer capacity, for example in a sporting club.

Applications will be assessed in a two stage process. Application forms are required at both stages; please refer to the application forms on this website. Submission can be by electronic means or by post. Applicants whose initial applications are assessed as being competitive will be invited to submit a second more detailed application. Assessment at the second stage will be by the Board or a panel appointed by the Board of the ILF, and applicants may be invited to an interview with the selection panel. Decisions made on any particular application will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The ILF reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to clarify any aspect of an application before finalising its assessment.

The ILF does not restrict the type of training or experience opportunity for which funding might be sought or the location in which it will be undertaken, and there is no restriction on the age, racial background, creed, disability or gender of applicants. Preference will be given to those applicants who are Australian Citizens and those who are residents of South Australia. The ILF is intended to benefit South Australia, and candidates for a grant must explain how they will ensure that the knowledge or experience they gain through ILF funding will achieve this aim. It is the responsibility of all candidates to demonstrate that their proposal will cost effectively achieve the aims that ILF funding is intended to accomplish.

The objectives of the ILF are defined in the vision and mission statements, and applicants should read them carefully.

In summary, it is intended that recipients of grants from the ILF will become industry leaders who will generate wealth creating, world competitive, value adding opportunities and share the desire to create and re-establish a head office mentality in South Australia.

More can be learned about leadership and the aims for the fund from the statements by the Honorary Board members and the contributions from other eminent South Australians included on this website. Insights into the value and benefits of a grant can be seen in the narratives of the previous ILF Grant recipients which are linked through the Grants page of this website.

A written report will be required from all grant recipients explaining their learning. The report should be in a form suitable for publication on the ILF website and in newsletters. It should include details of the application objectives, an outline of the learning opportunity, and an explanation of the applicants learning, including how the applicant proposes to apply them and how others might learn about, benefit from and apply the knowledge acquired. In addition, recipients will be required to make themselves available for two speaking engagements of about five minutes at forums to be agreed with the ILF.

ILF reserves the right to withhold up to the lesser of $2,000 or 10% of any grant amount until the report is received. The ILF will announce any call for funding applications at least a month before the closing date for initial applications. Applicants seeking help or clarification to complete an application are welcome to contact the CEO of the ILF.

The ILF recognises that a person does not necessarily become a leader overnight and some people will require more training and experience opportunities than others. Successful applicants are therefore encouraged to apply for further grants, from the ILF or elsewhere (refer to the links page for some suggestions), once they have completed any study or experience opportunity which has been funded by the ILF. Unsuccessful applicants are free to reapply in any future calls for applications.

Before applying you should ask yourself if you:

have the potential to be a leader

have held leadership positions or in other ways demonstrated leadership capacity

are or have the potential to be a vibrant and capable person

believe in the importance of successful South Australian companies

believe in the importance of successful South Australian industries

want to contribute to the growth and prosperity of South Australia

aim to meet or beat world’s best practice

believe in leadership renewal and generational change

have what it takes to ensure that the ILF achieves its aims and becomes a high impact fund

work for a company or organisation that employs South Australians, which does not necessarily have to be located in South Australia.